


Savior

by Nymph (Treekianthia)



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: (The Jeritza Lives Universe), Alternate Universe, F/M, Ficlet, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route Spoilers, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:47:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22326577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Treekianthia/pseuds/Nymph
Summary: Byleth doesn't know why she saved him, but now she finds herself tending to him day and night. Once he's awake, she makes a promise to him that she wants to uphold.
Relationships: Jeritza von Hrym/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 4
Kudos: 51





	Savior

Byleth didn’t know why she did it.

The Death Knight… Jeritza… He lay dying in his elder sister’s arms. Mercedes cried silent tears as she stroked her brother’s cheek and whispered her farewells to him. The others in the army watched from a distance, not wanting to disturb the final moments between the two siblings. Byleth stood with the Sword of the Creator in her hand, feeling a strange pain in her never beating heart. What was this feeling?

It was Dimitri who had brought down the Death Knight. He had been protecting Mercedes, who had gone ahead to try and get through to her brother. Standing near Byleth, Dimitri looked towards the sky. Byleth felt a drop of rain land on her cheek, and a moment later, it began to pour. Dimitri gave the signal for his army to find shelter, but he did not leave himself. He wanted to be there for when Mercedes finished her goodbyes.

“The Goddess cries for even the Death Knight… Perhaps he was a good man after all,” Dimitri said with a sorrowful tone. The pain in Byleth’s heart grew stronger, and she couldn’t stop herself from stepping forward. A wave of determination fell over her.

“We can save him.”

It came as a shock to both Dimitri and Mercedes when Byleth kneeled down next to the dying man. His heart was barely beating, and his breathing shallow. She placed her hand on his chest, closing her eyes and beginning to concentrate. A soft glow emanated from her hand, and once Mercedes realized what Byleth was trying to do, she placed her hand on top of her former professor’s.

“Professor, you don’t need to do this…” Mercedes told Byleth. “We have both come to peace with reality, and it’s safer to let him go…”

“No, I’m not letting him go like this.”

At first, Mercedes was unsure how to respond. Byleth said nothing more, and continued to concentrate all of her magical energy on healing the dying man before her. Dimitri stepped forward and placed a hand on Mercedes’ shoulders. She looked at him, and he gave her a subtle nod.

“I trust the professor. She’s doing this for a reason,” he told Mercedes. Looking back at her brother, Mercedes placed both her hands next to Byleth’s and began to pray. Soon, the same glowing light that emanated from Byleth’s hands began to emanate from Mercedes’ as well.

With his wounds healed, Jeritza was transported back to Garreg Mach. He was unconscious the entire time they traveled, and he was still barely clinging to life. Byleth stayed by his side tending to him, and the pain in her heart spiked each time she saw his face. His dark, menacing armor had been removed, and all that was left was the shell of the man called the Death Knight. In such a state, nobody would have guessed they were the same man.

Day and night, Byleth kept an eye on Jeritza. Mercedes would visit often to check on him, and Dimitri would come to make sure the two women were eating and getting rest. While Mercedes would leave with Dimitri in the evenings, Byleth would stay in the infirmary through the nights. Manuela would keep a candle lit, and left books on white magic for Byleth to study. The older woman did not understand why Byleth chose to save such a treacherous man, but she did not interfere with the Professor’s attempts to keep him alive.

It took half a moon for Jeritza to open his eyes.

Mercedes had left with Dimitri to get Byleth something to eat when it happened. Byleth heard the sounds of somebody stirring behind her as she was organizing the books she had been lent, and when she turned around, Jeritza was sitting up in bed. A sense of relief washed over Byleth.

“You’re awake…”

Jeritza looked at Byleth. “...you. You are that professor,” he said almost calmly. It was as if his existence as the Death Knight had been completely erased, and he was just a normal man.

“How do you feel?”

Ignoring the question, Jeritza crossed his arms. “Why did you save me?” he asked, his voice now showing hints of anger. “I was happy to accept death. I was in my sister’s arms… Ready to erase myself from this world. It would have made things much easier.”

“I asked you how you felt.”

The injured man sighed. “I feel as if I have been trampled by a horse,” he admitted. “I have answered your question. Now answer mine.”

“I wanted to save you.”

“Hmph. You wanted to save me? A man who thirsts for blood? One who will kill innocents without remorse? Foolish,” Jeritza said while shaking his head. Not the least bit wary, Byleth stepped forward.

“That’s not all you are.”

“And what makes you say that? I could easily turn on you right now… I can add you to the count of the dead in this war,” Jeritza warned. Byleth did not step down, however, and instead sat on the edge of his bed.

“I can sense it. You are kind, like your sister.”

Jeritza began to glare. “You are a fool. There is no kindness left in me... If you realized that, you would kill me now. Do you really feel so strongly about me? About the Death Knight?”

“It hurt me to watch you die.”

Shocked, Jeritza’s expression changed. “...what?” he asked in confusion. “It hurt you to watch me die?”

“I felt a pain in my heart.”

“A pain in your heart? ...you are turning out to be a strange one. First, you do not feel anger towards the Death Knight. Second, you say you feel pain. Exactly what is going on in that head of yours?” Jeritza continued to ask. Byleth looked him in the eyes.

“I trust you.”

Jeritza cocked his head. “You trust me? You will learn to regret those words,” he said. “Soon the Death Knight shall return. Your army will perish at his hands… It’ll be your fault.”

“I will be there to stop him if he does.”

“You? There to stop him? Doubtful,” Jeritza claimed before letting out a low chuckle. Byleth, however, nodded her head.

“I promise to stop him and to bring you back.”

Giving Byleth an odd look, Jeritza leaned back in the bed. “Bring me back? Now you’re being ridiculous,” he claimed. “No person can bring me back.”

“I promise you I will.”

Letting out another sigh, Jeritza shook his head again. “Fine, keep telling yourself that. We will see which of the two of us is correct on this matter soon enough.”

“I promise you.”

At that point, Mercedes and Dimitri made their return. Mercedes was happy to see her brother awake, and Byleth went to take her meal from Dimitri. She ate in silence as the two siblings chatted away, and Dimitri stood at the ready in case the Death Knight took over. Byleth, however, did not think it would be a problem. Though she did not think the Death Knight was truly gone, she believed the conversation she had with Jeritza had bought them time.

Something inside her really did trust Jeritza, however, and she vowed to uphold her promise to him if the Death Knight did return. He may have not believed her, but she knew that if it did happen, she was strong enough to hold him off on her own. Even if her heart did hurt at the idea of having to fight him, it also told her she had done the right thing. She had saved him and gave him a second chance. That’s what she had wanted.

But why did she save him…

That was the one thing she still had yet to understand.

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly? I don't know what this is, but I'm posting it for my weekly 1k fic anyway.
> 
> I've always wanted to write an AU fic where Jeritza joins the Blue Lions, but that was supposed to be much longer and make more sense than whatever this is. Really, this was just an experiment to see if I could write for Jeritza, and after advice from friends I think I'm getting there? He's not perfect, but he's better than what I originally had!
> 
> Other than that, I don't have much to say for this fic. It came to me in the spur of a moment and I wanted to jot it down. There's nothing wrong with trying to get something down though, since practice is practice!


End file.
